The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-30
KEYS TO THE SITUATION.


liaison.
Among the Mormons, God has or
dained system OF marriages, presum-
ably to build up His work or to try His
people, in which wives and children are
honored and respected as such, and
adultery is regarded as a sin second in
gravity only to the shedding CT inno-
cent blood.
Among the Turks are found sensual
ity and the harem; among the Nor
mons, conjugal love and the home.
1t is true that plural marriage offends
the sensibilities of the age; cut who
can say whether it is its moral or ira
ditional sense that is offended? What
old resident Gentle can state that
Mormon marriages has injuriously af-
fected either private or public morals,
or, in and of itself, the welfare of the
community?
There is no union of Church and
State among the Mormons. The Nor
mon Church has never had more re-
cognition under the laws OF
Utah than any other church; nor
have Mormons enjoyed any civil
privileges not open under &c neral laws
to all corners. There is nothing in the
statutes to-day, nor has there ever
been anything, to prevent the Gentiles
of Utah from electing every officer, and
making laws to suit their pleasure, ex-
cept voters. As soon as the Gentiles
can, by fair means or foul, cast more
votes than the Mormons, just so soon
will the cry of Church and State cease.
Mormon unity, the direct consequence
of the rabid warfare of local agitators,
and of the identity of Mormon interests
and friendships, for they know their
friends, gives color to the base charge.
Many Gentiless in Utah are neither
Liberals, nor supporters of Liberal agi-
tation. Very few of the substantial
business men among the non-Mormons
have, in any way known to the public,
identified themselves with the Liberal
party, whose ranks are made up chiefly
of Federal Office holders, apostates
and a certain number of honest, but
lily informed miners. The Utah Com
mission estimates the total population
of the Territory at 1885, GOO, of whom
$4,000 are stated to be Gentiles.
In view of the large number of unmar-
RED miners, railroad and smelling men,
transients, etc., among the non-Mormon
population it would not be unreason-
able to put the number of Gentle male
adults at 1900 or 5000. Yet at the
recent election, when strenuous effort
was made to bring out the Liberal ele-
ment, only some 5000 votes were cast
for their candidates throughout the
Territory. There is evidently a great
per centage OF indifference to Liberal
politics among the Gentiles of Utah.
The local contest, on the part of the
Liberal party, is political, an effort to
secure the control of the Territory by
riding into power on the wave of ma
tional prejudice, which they adopt
every means. to intensity. That this is
true is evidenced by their persistent
efforts to rob Mormons of the franchise.
The natural way to cure polygamy, or
sever a union of Church and State, is to
punish polygsmists, and wipe out all
local laws that made such union pos
sible. But these Machiavelian states
men, secure of the ignorant prejudice
Of the nation and its consequent sup
port, have gone steadily to reduce the
Mormon votes, by DISTINGUISHING polyg-
amists, abolishing woman suffrage, and
securing an obnoxious test oath,
which, if it be not entirely
restrictive, is no fault of theirs
for they worked for one that would
have been so, and will no doubt go to
Congress again asking for-what? the
scaIps of more Mormon voters.
The MormoHs are a patriotic people.
They have been opposed to law of
Congress, but that does not prove a
lack of patriotism.
Time developed that the Fugitive
Slave law was wrong and It's opponents
the opponents of higher freedom;
tine, in the case of the Mormons, may
dc much to establish the Mormon
claim that it is the law that is at fault
and not themselves. That God in
spired the trainers of the Constitution
is the sincere and ildisputable belief
Of the Latter day Saints.
The Mormons are not only reason
ably patriotic, but reasonable desirable
as a class of citizens. The old stories
q their connection with the Mountain
Meadows Massacre and various mytho
logical ou.rages have long since been
effsctuaHy exploded. They are in
oust.ious, thrifty, and skilled as me-
cnanicg and farmers. The degree of